A GERMAN migrant rescue ship operator has hit out at French President Emmanuel Macron after he said the had “played into the hands” of traffickers by picking up asylum seekers.

Mission Lifeline took on board 243 asylum seekers and refused to hand them over to Libya’s coastguard in what Mr Macron said was a breach of “all the rules” as the Libyan coastguard was already intervening.

Such rescue operations “play into the hands” of human traffickers by reducing the risks of the journey, the 40-year-old centrist warned.

His government spokesperson, Benjamin Griveaux, echoed this argument, saying that while France “applauds the job done by NGOs”, rescue missions had to be carried out in compliance with international maritime law.

Mission Lifeline argues the migrants would be exposed to rape and abuse in Libya, and that handing them over to the Libyan authorities would breach international refugee law.

“We are very disappointed by Mr Macron’s comments because up until now, we thought that he was someone who respected international and humanitarian law.

She said the French centrist’s accusations of collusion were “unfounded”.

Charity’s co-founder Axel Steier said in a statement: “There have been a number of false accusations that Mission Lifeline ignores orders by different MRCCs (maritime rescue coordination centres).

The 'MV Lifeline', a vessel for the German charity Mission Lifeline (Image: GETTY)

"The only order the ship denied was to hand over people to the so-called Libyan coastguard, as this would not have been in line with the Geneva Refugee Convention and therefore criminal.”

The rescue boat finally docked in Malta last night after seven European countries offered to take in a share of those in board, Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said, adding that “distribution to other member states would start immediately”.

A decision by Italy’s new populist government to block foreign humanitarian ships from Italian ports triggered a political firestorm earlier this month, leaving European leaders scrambling to find new ways to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean.

But the bloc, according to Mission Lifeline, is buckling under pressure and using rescue NGOs as scapegoats.

Mrs Naass said: “European leaders are trying to make an example of Mission Lifeline amid growing tensions within the bloc over the migrant question.”

Italy and Malta say they are unfairly bearing the brunt of the migrant crisis, while other European countries are urging more hardline policies to combat illegal immigration.

A summit between EU leaders to discuss the bloc’s need for a coordinated response to the refugee crisis will be held in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.